3 Hawk St, Frankton-Hamilton, Hamilton
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Little Wonderland Ltd are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Learning Conditions |
ERO’s judgement |
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Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Organisational Conditions |
ERO’s judgement |
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Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Little Wonderland Ltd is a privately owned service. Children learn in a mixed-age environment. The service is governed by two owners who provide leadership and support for the teaching team. Previously known as Playworx, this is the centre’s first ERO review under new ownership.
Children’s learning and development are effectively supported by intentional teaching in a child-led environment. Children are viewed as highly competent, confident learners in their culture and identity. They learn in an environment that is natural, well-prepared and purposefully designed. Assessment shows the complexity of how they learn in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Children’s learning and development are supported through a rich, responsive curriculum.
Māori children and their whānau contribute to the design and development of a curriculum that reflects te ao Māori. The centre supports initiatives that contribute to positive social and community outcomes. The learning and wellbeing of children, and relationships with whānau, underpin all decision making. Leaders identify a continuing need to further deepen their knowledge and expertise about culturally responsive practice. Children’s sense of belonging is affirmed and celebrated.
Respectful practices are highly evident in interactions between adults and children. Teachers encourage children to explore the learning environment through meaningful conversations, providing effective oral language support. The philosophy is strongly evident in all aspects of centre operation. Children and their families experience a calm and settled learning environment.
Effective governance ensures that the learning and wellbeing of children, families and teachers are the primary considerations for decision making. Consistent organisational conditions enable leaders and teachers to do and use evaluation for improvement. Ongoing internal evaluation promotes the service’s priorities for children’s learning.
Little Wonderland Ltd will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. Continue the journey of deepening and developing a shared understanding of assessment that:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Wonderland Ltd completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
15 March 2022
| Early Childhood Service Name | Little Wonderland Ltd |
| Profile Number | 30328 |
| Location | Hamilton |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
21 children aged over 2 years |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
20 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 14, NZ European/Pākehā 4, Other ethnic groups 2 |
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Review team on site |
February 2022 |
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Date of this report |
15 March 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, September 2017 as Playworx Kindy |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Playworx is located in the suburb of Frankton in Hamilton. It is one of three centres under the same private ownership. The centre provides all-day and sessional care and education for children from two years to school age. At the time of this review, there were 11 children enrolled, of whom eight identified as Māori. Many children are connected through their whakapapa.
The centre's philosophy is based on the belief that 'play is our work and work is our play'. Teachers value play as the catalyst to positive learning outcomes for all tamariki, in many different contexts. The centre's new vision has a strong emphasis on meaningful relationships with both whānau and tamariki, with a commitment to making a positive difference for families.
Since the ERO review in 2015, a new centre manager has been employed to oversee the quality of education and care in all three centres. One of the two directors/owners is responsible for the administration and management of the centres. A team leader and teacher were appointed at the end of 2016.
The last ERO review in 2015 identified significant areas for improvement. A decision was made by ERO to closely monitor the progress of the centre. Under the new leadership structure, sufficient progress has been made to meet the requirements in strategic planning, self review, appraisal processes, assessment, planning and evaluation. Leaders and teachers have participated in external and internal professional development to improve practice. All areas of non-compliance from the 2015 ERO report have been addressed.
The centre manager and teachers, in consultation with families, have reviewed the centre's philosophy and actively promote it in their practice. Caring and trusting relationships underpin all aspects of teaching and learning. Teachers know children and their families well and are highly responsive to individual circumstances and needs. Leaders and teachers identify and remove barriers to education and learning to enable all children to fully participate, in an inclusive environment. Processes for working in partnership with families and involving them in decision making are established. This holistic approach ensures children's wellbeing is nurtured and they develop a strong sense of belonging at the centre.
A feature of the programme is the opportunity for children to initiate and lead their own learning. They can freely explore and inquire into topics of interest that often connect to their culture and identity. There are many opportunities for children to have fun, interact with others and develop friendships, and be creative and imaginative in their play and learning. Children are experiencing success and developing as capable, confident learners.
The principles of Te Tiritiri o Waitangi around partnerships and participation are highly visible. Teachers allow space and time for whānau to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the programme. Tuakana teina relationships encourage children to be leaders and share their strengths, which is contributing to others’ learning. Te reo and tikanga Māori are naturally integrated in the programme. Children are learning about Māori concepts, knowledge, skills, attitudes, practices, customs, values and beliefs. Māori children's language, culture and identity are very well supported.
Teachers skilfully notice and respond to the interests, strengths and needs of individual children. They implement a range of intentional teaching strategies to support their learning, including:
effective modelling and encouragement of oral language and social competencies
empowering children to take increasing responsibility for the wellbeing of themselves and others
encouraging problem solving, negotiation and reflection
the integration of literacy and mathematics throughout the daily programme.
The community is used as an integral part of learning. The small group size enables spontaneous and planned excursions to parks, library, marae and other environments. This provides children with a rich range of contextually relevant learning opportunities.
Children and their parents are well supported as they transition into the centre. Children's sense of belonging is nurtured and teachers give them time to settle successfully. Recent internal evaluation has affirmed teachers' focus on building children's social competencies, learning dispositions and self-care skills to support their transition to school. Teachers are developing stronger relationships with nearby schools. Older children are able to visit the new entrant class at one of the local schools.
The newly appointed centre manager, in collaboration with teachers, has established effective systems and processes to develop and improve centre practices. The team leader has been instrumental in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Clear expectations and guidelines for assessment, planning and evaluation are now being implemented. There is a stronger emphasis on dispositions for learning and the service philosophy and vision outcomes for children are more evident in narrative observations.
The centre manager has accessed professional development in implementing appraisal practices linked to Education Council requirements. Teachers' reflections on their practice and goals for development are leading to improved outcomes for children.
Leaders and teachers have successfully developed a service strategic plan to prioritise future developments. More effective self review is developing and contributing to improved outcomes for children through adjustments and enhancements to curriculum delivery. This places the service in a better position to sustain the recent improvements and continue developing their practices.
The key next steps are for leaders and teachers to:
strengthen strategic planning and self review documentation to show the specific outcomes for teaching, learning and children
develop systems and processes to regularly monitor and evaluate progress towards meeting the centre's agreed goals and objectives
further develop assessment documentation, in consultation with whānau, to better capture Māori children's whakapapa and its relevance to their learning
strengthen appraisal processes to include formal observations of teaching practice, teachers' inquiry into their effectiveness, and ongoing coaching and mentoring.
Before the review, the staff and management of Playworx completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Playworx will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato/Bay of Plenty
6 September 2017
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
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Location |
Frankton, Hamilton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
30328 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
21 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
11 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 8 Girls 3 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2017 |
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Date of this report |
6 September 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
April 2015 |
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Education Review |
March 2012 |
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Supplementary Review |
February 2011 |
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ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.